Worry Over Pfizer Covid Vaccine As 4 US Volunteers Develop Facial Paralysis Symptoms After Taking Shots

After the UK warned people with a 'significant' history of allergies to not take the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, four volunteers in US trials have reportedly developed Bell’s Palsy, a form of temporary facial paralysis. Read on.

(Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

New Delhi: While the UK continues its inoculation drive with Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, a major concern has surfaced regarding the shots. During the trials in the US, four volunteers who took them are reported to have developed Bell’s Palsy.  According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators, four volunteers who were administered the vaccine shots during the trial stage have developed Bell’s Palsy. The condition causes a temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face. It can occur when the nerve that controls your facial muscles is inflamed, swollen, or compressed. The condition causes one side of your face to droop or to become stiff. The US FDA regulators are trying to reach a conclusion as to how the vaccine caused Bell’s Palsy in the volunteers. Doctors have reportedly been asked to constantly monitor side-effects of the vaccine. To allay the fears on the safety of the vaccine, Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla had on Wednesday said: "The vaccines were developed very fast... we did not cut corners. We tested this vaccine in the exact same way that we are testing any vaccine. Because of the scrutiny, it was tested with even higher standards".

Precautionary Warning In UK

This immediately follows the U.K. National Health Service's statement where it cautioned that people with a 'significant' history of allergies should not take Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine after two receivers reported reactions from the shots. Barely a day after the U.K. became the first western country to begin the Covid-19 inoculation drive, the precautionary warning was issued. "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination," Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said in a statement. The chief executive of the MHRA June Raine said her team witnessed two case reports of allergic reactions on Tuesday evening. They are said to have suffered an anaphylactoid reaction which tends to involve a rash, shortness of breath, and a drop in blood pressure. Both staff members of the NHS are currently recovering well, the health service revealed. Pfizer and BioNTech will be supporting the investigation in this matter. Prescribing information already carries a warning advising people that those who are allergic to any ingredient should not take the vaccine. Even while studies were being carried out for the vaccine, those allergic to any of the components had been excluded from participating. Besides Britain, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved by authorities in Bahrain and Canada for emergency use.